Demand for back-up gen-sets surges by 35% in lieu of winter power cuts

A 35% increase in demand for back-up generators has been reported by Finning with customers from the data centre, construction and healthcare industries citing the risk of winter power cuts as the reason why.

Earlier this month, the government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy shared its ‘reasonable worst-case scenario’ that the UK would likely face an electricity shortfall this winter that could result in days of power cuts. 

Finning, a provider of power systems for data centres, healthcare, retail and agriculture, has reported a sharp rise in demand for the purchase and rental of back-up power generators as its customers make plans to mitigate the risk and ensure energy resilience and continuity. 

Kelly Cole, general manager for Finning Energy & Transportation, explains how alternative energy sources such as backup generators and self-generation systems are playing an increasingly important role for a range of organisations looking to mitigate energy risk. “We work across many industries, where continuity of power is crucial, and any the loss of power, even for a short time, can be catastrophic and extremely costly. 

“We’ve seen a sharp rise in calls from customers looking to buy and rent additional back-up power systems in case of any loss of power capacity in the grid. This shows that the business/industrial sectors are taking the risk extremely seriously indeed, and investing in additional systems now, in case the risk becomes a reality.

“The sales of generators have increased by almost a quarter (24%) compared with 2021, and revenue from the rental of power equipment is already up 12.5% on last year. In addition, quotes for rental machines have increased by almost 20% compared with 2021. 

“What we’re seeing is a shift in our rental customers behaviour in that they are starting to plan further ahead than they normally would, and this is undoubtedly due to the risk of power shortages and the increase in news on the topic.”

Finning is the sole distributor of Cat power systems in the UK and Ireland.